 Tony Oursler (American, born 1957) Roman à Clef, 2012 Video projection, sound, assemblage of found
objects, steel stand Purchase with funds from a gift of Frumkin/Adams
Gallery, New York, by exchange, 2013 (2013-3-01) New York artist Tony Oursler is well-known for his
sculptures combining video, sound, and language with
constructed or fabricated sculptural elements, melding
media culture and theatrical tradition. Oursler has
explored methods of taking the moving image away
from the video monitor and projecting it onto
three-dimensional surfaces and environments to
create miniaturized worlds in which funny, strange,
surreal narratives and imagery confront the viewer.
Roman à Clef is from a recent body of work which
Oursler calls “micro-sculptures.” Each incorporate
small found objects and tiny video projections within a
proscenium mounted on a metal stand. These intimate
tableaux offer concrete pictures of thoughts and
psychology. Oursler has described this body of work:
“The characters interact as though they embody
poetically layered patterns of thought. Each of these
works is a contemplation on human relationships and
the implicit existential struggle; I invite the viewer to
lean in and decipher the shouts and murmurs as these
relationships unfold. I hope they recognize a few of
these situations.” |